Basil is the quintessential garden plant: equally happy to sprawl out over the expanse of a walled-in plot or flourish in a box on the window sill. And it's the perfect summer herb: its bright, slightly bitter flavor perfectly complements other hot-weather produce, from raw tomatoes to grilled zucchini to roasted red peppers.

As a teenager, I'd spend hours plucking individual basil leaves off the bushels of sprigs my friends harvested from their backyard. We were making pesto by the gallon, and over the course of a few hours' work, with Robert Plant's sultry whine belting out of a portable boom box, everything—our hands, our t-shirts, our suntanned legs—would become steeped and stained with the plant's green color and rich perfume.

In America, basil's floppy, velvet-soft leaves are most closely associated with Italian cuisine. But the herb, a member of the mint family, has more than 40 different varieties that range in flavor from mild and floral to pungent and spicy.

Citrusy lemon basil and eggplant-colored purple basil have begun to show up regularly at farmer's markets, as have varieties commonly used in southeast Asian cuisine like Thai basil, which has deep maroon stems and a licorice flavor.

For certain recipes, particularly long-cooking soups and sauces, I turn to dried basil. But I prefer to work with the fresh stuff whenever possible, ripping it with my fingers, chopping it finely, or slicing it into thin ribbons to release its fragrant oils.

In recent years, I've become particularly enamored with basil's sweet side, pairing it with deep-flavored fruits like strawberries and peaches for desserts and cocktails. With that in mind, I developed a basil-plum compote to serve over slices of grilled pound cake.

The sweet stone fruit benefits immensely from a hint of vibrant, herbal flavor—together, they make a syrupy, complex compote that would also be delicious spooned over ice cream, yogurt, or granola.

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